Digital Eye Strain Among Kids- Signs and Prevention Tips

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Are your kids attending online classes? Do they spend hours playing video games or messing around with smartphones? Do you often find your kids complaining of pain in the eyes or strain in the neck? Beware! These may be preliminary signs of digital eye strain among kids.

Check digital eye strain among kids

Nowadays, you can find many kids amusing themselves with digital devices and appealing electronic widgets like smartphones, computers, and tablets. With the lockdown in effect and the growing espousal of online studies, the kids are spending more time than ever in front of smart screens and digital widgets. Here is what you should know about digital eye strain and how you can prevent it in kids with simple steps.

Causes of Digital Eye Strain Among Kids

Digital eye strain is a computer vision syndrome caused by staring at digital screens continuously for a long time. Eyestrain is likely to occur if you focus on a particular task for an extensively long time. More frequent use of digital screens each day for several hours is a common cause of digital eye strain among kids.

Moreover, small children even forget to blink their eyes when sitting in front of digital devices. Moreover, many kids keep the device too close or too far from their eyes.  Therefore, if your kids spend way too much time in front of the screen, it is time to keep a check on their physical fitness and eye strain complaints. Ideally, eyestrain is treatable with simple, non-invasive methods. However, prolonged eye strain may indicate more serious issues that require medical assistance.

                                                  

Symptoms of Digital Eye Strain

Longer screen time exposes kids to an extended amount of blue light emitted by digital screens. Sometimes, doing eye-straining activities like reading in dim or inadequate light may also cause pain and strain in their eyes. Earlier symptoms of digital eye strain in kids may include:

·       blurry vision

·       headache

·       red, irritated eyes,

·       stiffness or pain in the shoulders, back, and neck


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Easy Prevention Tips for Digital Eye Strain among kids

You may find it enervating to keep your bundles of joy away from the digital screens forever. But you can take some simple preventive steps to avoid digital eye strain among kids. Here are some tips to follow:

Follow the 20-20-20 Rule

That is a pretty easy activity for kids to follow. It is a simple rule to disengage your eyes when you are focusing too long on a single activity. For the axiom to work, try to shift your focus to some other pursuit every 20 minutes. Pick something that is 20 feet away and stare at it for a minimum of 20 seconds.  By following this rule, the idea is to turn kids' focus away from any intense activity that engages them for several hours.

Remember to blink often

While gazing at screens, kids may forget to blink in between which may increase the strain. Therefore, ask your kids to blink frequently to keep their eyes moist.

                                                         

Keep the Screen at a Safe Distance

Proper lighting and adequate distance is important during the screen time of kids

Make sure to maintain the correct distance between your child and the digital device. You should position the device properly at about an arm’s length. Educate kids to always view the screen at or slightly below the eye level. Moreover, enlarge the text to a comfortable level when reading on digital handheld devices.

Make Sure the Room is Properly Lit

The place wherever your kids are using a digital device must have proper lighting. Make sure the light comes from behind. Activities like watching TV in dim light may put excess strain on the eyes of the kids. Both the place and the screen must have adequate light.


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Reduce Screen Time of kids

Limit the screen time of kids to avoid excess exposure to the blue light or intense eye strain. Explore other options to stay occupied, this will automatically reduce the screen time of kids. Board games, playing cards, chess, or art activities can help kids to engage well without straining their eyes.

                                                         

Proper Eyewear for eyes

Sometimes, pain in the eye may indicate other eye troubles. If the pain persists, your kids may require medical assistance. Get in touch with your doctor if you need distinctive eyewear to lessen the eyestrain.

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References

https://www.healthline.com/health/eye-health/eye-strain#tips-for-prevention

https://yoursightmatters.com/9-tips-to-protect-children-from-digital-eye-strain/